Teenager Shang Juncheng triumphed over Italy’s Olympic bronze medalist Lorenzo Musetti 7-6(4), 6-1 in the Chengdu Open final, securing his first ATP Tour title and becoming the second Chinese player to win an ATP trophy.
At 19 years old and previously the top junior in the world, Shang is China’s second-ranked player and the youngest ATP title winner this season. He aims to emulate the success of Li Na, China’s most accomplished singles player, who won the French Open in 2011 and the Australian Open in 2014. Several Chinese women, including Paris Olympic Games gold medalist Zheng Qinwen, aspire to follow in Li Na’s footsteps.
Men’s tennis success was rare in China until Wu Yibing was the first Chinese ATP titleholder at last year’s Dallas Open.
Shang is also vying for a spot in the Next Gen ATP Finals in Saudi Arabia this November-December, which showcases the top 20-and-under singles players of the season.
“I’m delighted to have lifted the trophy here before my home crowd,” Shang expressed. “The support and encouragement from the crowd were pivotal, inspiring me to deliver my best tennis throughout the tournament.”
Meanwhile, at the Hangzhou Open, Croatian wild card Marin Cilic was the lowest-ranked champion in ATP Tour history, marking his first tour-level event win since February. Celebrating his 36th birthday this Saturday, Cilic claimed his first title since 2021 with a 7-6(5), 7-6(5) victory against China’s top player and sixth seed Zhang Zhizhen in Zhang’s debut tour-level final.
This win, a comeback from a knee injury, propelled Cilic from 777th to 212th in the ATP rankings, marking his 21st career title. The Hangzhou Open recently replaced the Zhuhai Championships on the ATP calendar.
